Legacy Elem Charter School, Chicago IL

Original Research by School Decision on Legacy Elem Charter School

Legacy Elementary Charter School is a small charter school on Chicago's West Side serving kindergarten through eighth grade. The school enrolls a student body that is overwhelmingly Black, with a modest presence of Hispanic students and very small numbers from other racial and ethnic groups. The enrollment across grades is fairly even, holding steady at around fifty students per grade, for a total enrollment that is modest for an elementary-middle school.

State test results show a school in substantial academic difficulty. On the Illinois Assessment of Readiness in math, proficiency rates range from single digits in sixth and eighth grade to mid-teens in third and fourth grade, placing the school in the bottom quartile among Cook County schools when looking at overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades. English language arts performance is markedly stronger, particularly in seventh and eighth grade, where roughly half or more of students test proficient, but the earlier elementary grades show proficiency in the twenties and low thirties. Science proficiency is quite low, with only about eight percent of fifth graders and roughly a quarter of eighth graders meeting proficiency standards.

The asymmetry between ELA and math is notable and worth exploring with the school directly. It suggests either a strength in literacy instruction or a particular weakness in numeracy, or both, and parents considering the school should ask directly about the math curriculum, instructional approach, and any interventions or supports in place. The school's participation rate in state testing is complete, so these figures represent the actual performance of tested students rather than a reporting issue.

Demographic data on free and reduced-price lunch eligibility, students with disabilities, and English learners was not available. Information on discipline, attendance, staffing, and specialized programs was also not reported in the data provided. The school opened as a charter, and it remains open within Chicago Public Schools District 299.

The wider context matters. Chicago has resumed population growth after a decade of decline, and the housing market in the school's zip code shows modest home values and rents relative to national benchmarks, with supply somewhat elevated relative to demand. The city's transit system, parks, and dense neighborhood structure mean that families without a car can navigate school choice and daily life. The district itself is undergoing structural change: a newly elected school board, a shift in strategic priorities toward neighborhood schools, and a rollout of a unified curriculum (Skyline) across CPS. For families considering a charter, it is important to note that the district's policy direction has moved away from the school-choice model that has defined CPS enrollment for decades, which may affect enrollment pressure and resources over time.

A parent weighing Legacy should ask the school specifically about its approach to math instruction and any current or planned interventions, request recent internal assessment data to see whether state results reflect recent changes in teaching, and clarify what programs or supports exist for students not yet meeting grade-level benchmarks. The strength in ELA, especially at the upper grades, suggests the school has instructional capacity in that area; understanding where that comes from, and whether similar approaches can be applied to math, would be useful. Families should also understand the school's stability in the changing CPS landscape and what enrollment and resource trends look like for the school.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 317%

School 17% · District 38% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 23 pts below county median

Grade 412%

School 12% · District 29% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 25 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 24% · ▼ 12 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

Grade 68%

School 8% · District 23% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 714%

School 14% · District 27% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 88%

School 8% · District 23% · ▼ 16 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 10 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 329%

School 29% · District 36% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 9 pts below county median

Grade 433%

School 33% · District 39% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 529%

School 29% · District 43% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 16 pts below county median

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 45% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

Grade 756%

School 56% · District 46% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 48% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median · ▲ 9 pts above county median

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 29% · ▼ 21 pts below district

▼ 29 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 827%

School 27% · District 31% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 13 pts below state median · even with county median

This schoolChicago Public Schools Dist 299, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.